The Stetson Reporter

Th SI he tets .^\ . . . ■ ijReporter ftbrida'sOUkst CoCkgiatz Newspaper lililniiliifecisfl Highs in, the mid Rthlfflidi ssiiiiiiii Tuesday i.Wednesdjy^:Jv.>s.M.Thuredayii> * Soiircti: WeotfrerChonn.! ij^^^^^^^^^B ^^^^^^^^^^S^i^^^H^^ffl ^[^H^^^^^^^^^B This Week... Athens Theater Local historic landmark undergoes restoration, page 2a. JobDirect Online career service to visit Stetson today, page 3a. njs Campus spirit Student demands that others stop complaining ^ jp and start ^^,^» acting, page Students respond to education plan Women's basketball wins The Hatter women beat the Florida Atlantic University Owls, page 6a. Spring break Advice for travel and tips for a safe spring break, page lb. Ska music An interview with a new ska band which wiH perform in Orlando tonight, page 2b. Spring Break Due to Spring Break March 1-9, iheStetson Reporter will cease publication until March 18. i Fun Fact On last Friday's airing of "Jeopardy!", the $1000 answer was, "This DeLand, Florida University was named after the Philadelphia hat maker." Nobody won the $1000. by Colleen DeBaise and Davina Yetter In his State of the Union address, President Clinton said his "No. 1 priority" over the next four years is ensuring that Americans have the best education in the world. The president proposed $51 billion in federal funding for education—a 20 percent increase over current spending—and called for bipartisan support for his key education proposals. "Education is one of the critical national security issues for our future, and politics must stop at the classroom door," he said. Among his proposals are a $10,000 tax deduction and a $1,500 tax credit or "HOPE Scholarships" for college expenses. The president also reiterated his plan-to fatten the Pell Grant from its current $2,700 to $3,000. The education proposals are wrapped up in a package Clinton called his "Call to Action for ' American Education." The package includes an expanded IRA that would allow tax-free withdrawals for education, and a GI Bill for Workers that would help pay for job training. For the most part, students said they were pleased.with Clinton's education proposals," through few thought they wotild be implemented. "I definitely support what he's doing," said Hank Walther, an American University junior. "It seems like he'll have a lot of bipartisan support." Even so, he's not sure the package would sail through a Republican-controlled Congress. "It's a Clinton proposal, but might not be [Senate Majority Leader] Trent Loft's proposal," he said. "It might just get lost in the politics somewhere." "I think its definitely plausible if it receives bipartisan support," said Michele Luecking, president of Stetson's chapter of Young Democrate." After the State of the Union address, Republicans expressed support for Clinton's education goals but questioned their cost. "It's hard to believe the President could talk about a balanced budget and a new entitlement pro- gram—for anything—with a straight face," said Lamar Alexander, former U.S. secretary of education under the Bush administration. The president's proposed tax breaks would likely help middle- income students at the expense of poorer ones, and raise the cost of college for all students, he said. The thought is shared by Colin Campbell, a Princeton University jumor.J'Eye^time there's.a government increase in student aid, there's going to be a proportional increase in university tuitions," he said. Campbell characterized the $1,500 tax credit, or HOPE Scholarships, as a waste of government spending. The scholarships are designed to cover tuition costs at the average community college. "I don't think community college is terribly expensive, if one wants to get a job," he said. "It's already subsidized by the government. This program is just not going to work." Luecking thought that tax credits were "integral in getting a college education with the costs of tuition rising." Carey Ng, a sophomore at American University, said he was glad to hear Clinton endorse art increase to the Pell grant. "That's absolutely necessary," he said. "That goes to the absolute bottom of students, financially." Ng said he and most of his friends receive financial aid packages, so he was pleased to hear Clinton's commitment to students. Stetson College Republicans President Jim Dunlop supports much of the education package, as long as the benefits do not only extend to public institutions. "[Federal] aid should be allowed for both public and private schools," stressed Dunlop. "It is important...so that students can have the same opportunities that [Clinton's] child has to go to a private school." Dunlop added that it is important for local governments to also make decisions regarding education. Luecking said that she supports Clinton's technology initiatives. "The ideas of getting technology in the classrooms is an important step in bridging the gap between lower and upper-economic level classrooms," Luecking said. Dunlop said that while Clinton's goals for education are laudable, action would be a key factor. "One can say a whole lot and do very little," Dunlop said. Senator Max Cleland speaks to students, staff Stetson Weekend Photo by Jeff Pointe Stetson Weekend Queen Bridget Baku, King SorenSchoultz, President Doug Lee and Hostesses Jerra Fortner and Davina Yetter are recognized at Saturday's basketball game. College Bowl team ' places second at regional tournament by Jeff Pointe the stetson reporter Stetson alumnus and newly- elected Senator Max Cleland held an informal dialogue for students and those returning for Stetson Weekend last Saturday afternoon. About a hundred alumni, students and former faculty members crowded the lobby of the Lynn Business Center in order to participate in the discussion with the senator. After graduating from Stetson, Cleland volunteered to serve in Vietnam. While fighting in the siege of Khe Sanh he lost both of his legs and his right arm in a grenade explosion. He was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service and the Silver Star for helping to rescue wounded soldiers under fire. After recovering he became the youngest person to be elected to the Georgia State Senate at the age of 28. Shortly thereafter he was appointed to head the veterans adrninistration. In 1982 Cleland made history again by becoming Georgia's youngest secretary of State. Last November he was elected to the Senate to fill the seat of the retir-, ing Senator Sam Nunri. Cleland began the discussion by talking about his experiences at Stetson. He talked about being only an average student in high school and struggling in his early days at Stetson. "The best thing Stetson ever did for me was taking a pine knot from Georgia and challenging me," said Cleland. He also credited many of his professors and administrators for shaping his life and his values. Photo by Jeff Pointe Max Cleland poses with students after a discussion last week. After some brief remarks the Senator fielded some questions form the audience. On his impressions of the Senate he said, "I don't think I've ever been around a group of talkers like these guys. They're about the finest group of talkers I've ever seen." When asked about his goals in the Senate he said, "My first goal in office is to generate hope, If I can. He added that he was interested in pursuing issues in armed services, governmental and campaign finance reform, education and improving small business. Cleland shares many common views with his predecessor, Like former Senator Sam Nunn, he is a moderate Democrat and a fiscal conservative. Like Nunri he also serves on the Armed Services Committee, and supports a balanced budget amendment and a line-item veto. Unlike Nunn, he supports term limits. "After a while you get enamored with it all...and forget where you come from,"'Cleland said in defense of his stand on the issue. "Bi-partisanship is a forced reality" that both sides must accept if they want to make any progress, said Cleland. The crowd responded to his speech with a standing ovation on his introduction and upon the conclusion of his remarks. "He seemed very sincere. He didn't try and bull around and I appreciate that," said Stetson College Republican President Jim Dunlop. "Cleland is a model of bi-partisanship voting for the balanced budget amendment, term limits and governmental reform." Of the senator, Professor T. Wayne Bailey of Stetson's Political Science Department said "Senator Cleland has overcome personal adversities related to his war wounds, and overcome several political defeats." Bailey continued, "He constantly believes in America, and I think the strength of his remarks today was his belief that we can find, in bi-partisanship, solutions for some of the greatest issues of the twentieth century." by Davina Yetter the stetson reporter The Stetson College Bowl team placed second at their regional tournament Feb. 14-15 at University of South Florida in Tampa. John Kinzer, David Young and Landon Mavrelis finished behind the University of Horida, who had won the regional title for the last hree consecutive years. The.College Bowl team competed against numerous colleges -nd universities from the South- st in a trivia competition. The team competed with one fewer members than the other teams, who each had four competitors. "Our having three players seemed to intimidate some of the other teams, after we won a few matches," said Young. The team won 11 out of 14 matches, losing once to University of Auburn in Montegomery and twice to University of Florida. "We were surprised by how well we did," said lOnzer. "We beat schools that have been preparing [for the tournament] all year." Kinzer ranked second among individual scores in the competition. GriU disrupts Hat Rack service f/ by Jamie Disjnger special to the reporter- Students who visited the Hat Rack the evening of Feb. 10 experienced extremely long wait times and undercooked food. The Hat Rack fell behind in its orders and operations between 7 and 8 p.m. Food orders were sometimes not remembered, and some individuals who asked about their orders were told they would have to reorder. The average wait time from the time of order to the time of delivery was approximately one hour. "It used to be that the longest you would wait at the Hat Rack was 20 minutes," said Stetson student Joe Young. Food Services Director Paul Marcaurelle attributed the problems of this night to a new gas grill that had just been installed. "Recently we've had a challenge with the griU," Marcaurelle said. "We've replaced the old electric grill with a gas grill. The night in question was the first night [the grill] was in operation and it wasn't fully calibrated." Students complained that once the food was delivered it was cold and undercooked, which seemed to cause even more of a backup for the kitchen. "I waited an hour and a half for an uncooked piece of chicken in cold sauce," said sophomore David Halstead. Marcaurelle apologized to any customers who were inconvenienced by the new adjustment. "It has been and continues to be our policy to offer quality service, convenience and a place where students want to go," Marcaurellesaid. Marcaurelle also recom- {mended that anyone who experi- • ences problems withrHat Rack ser? |yice in the future personally bring "I waited an hour and a half for an uncooked piece of chicken in cold sauce/' -David Halstead- them to his attention. "That's what I'm here for," Marcaurelle said. Stacy Gum contributed to this story.